U.C. Honors Excellence in Teaching

The Undergraduate Council honored three instructors for excellence in undergraduate teaching at its 15th annual Levenson Awards banquet on Monday night.

The awards were presented to Professor of English and American Literature Elaine Scarry, Assistant Professor of Mathematics Kamal Khuri-Makdisi and Peter M. Wayne, a teaching fellow in biology.

The event, held in the Leverett House dining hall, was attended by about 180 students and faculty members. A total of 85 professors and teaching fellows (TF) were nominated for the award.

The recipients said they appreciated the recognition from their students.

"Teaching is something very difficult to judge," Wayne said. "I don't know how it is a committee could evaluate the quality of those nominated. What matters is that students I taught felt strongly enough to nominate me."

Undergraduates nominated their professors or TFs by submitting a short e-mail message detailing their nominee's qualifications for the award.

The council's Student Affairs Committee then selected the winners based on students' comments, CUE Guide ratings and past nominations, according to Christopher R. McFadden '97, one of the event's organizers.

"It is not an exact science," said Brian R. Blais '97, co-chair of the Levenson Committee and council vice president. "We are picking from people who have a CUE guide rating of 4.9 versus 4.8. It obviously comes down to gut feeling at a certain point."

Many students who nominated professors wrote on their nomination forms that their teachers had inspired them to pursue their interests in the subject matter.

"[Professor Scarry] reminds me how it feels to stay up with a novel and a flashlight until your eyes hurt," a student wrote on the nomination form.

The turnout this year for the banquet was very high, according to McFadden, who is a Crimson executive.

Attendance at past award banquets has typically been about 80 to 100 people, he said.

Blais attributed the high turnout this year in part to the fact that, for the first time, students were able to nominate their professors by e-mail.

He also said he thought many students might have used the event as a way to have more contact with their professors.

"I guess that some people just saw it as an opportunity to have dinner with their professor," he said.

Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III praised the council for its recognition of skilled teachers.

"I'm here to support the council," Epps said. "I think this is one of the best things they do all year."

Epps said he wanted to know which faculty members students like because he often asks Levenson nominees to participate in faculty discussion groups.

The award was established by the family of Joseph R. Levenson '44, a premier historian of China's intellectual history at Berkeley who drowned in 1969 while attempting to save his son from drowning.

Levenson was particularly known for his emphasis on teaching as well as research, according to McFadden.

Past Levenson winners have included Kenan Professor of Government Harvey C. Mansfield '53, Baird Professor of Science Dudley R. Herschbach and Williams Professor of History and Political Science Roderick F. MacFarquhar

"I guess that some people just saw it as an opportunity to have dinner with their professor," he said.

Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III praised the council for its recognition of skilled teachers.

"I'm here to support the council," Epps said. "I think this is one of the best things they do all year."

Epps said he wanted to know which faculty members students like because he often asks Levenson nominees to participate in faculty discussion groups.

The award was established by the family of Joseph R. Levenson '44, a premier historian of China's intellectual history at Berkeley who drowned in 1969 while attempting to save his son from drowning.

Levenson was particularly known for his emphasis on teaching as well as research, according to McFadden.

Past Levenson winners have included Kenan Professor of Government Harvey C. Mansfield '53, Baird Professor of Science Dudley R. Herschbach and Williams Professor of History and Political Science Roderick F. MacFarquhar